US1311300A - Planooraph co - Google Patents

Description

W. H. TONK.

COMBINED HORN AND SOUND BOX.

APPucATlon FILED MMI. t8. 191B.

1 ,3 1 1 ,300. Patented July 29, 19m.

'me coLumnm Pumonnum O0.. WASMlNnToN, D. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. TONK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T WILLIAM TONK & BRO., INC., OF

NEW YORK, N. Y., A'CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

COMBINED HORN AND SOUND-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29, 1919.

Application led March 18, 1918. Serial No. 223,075.

To all whom it may concern 'Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. ToNK, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Horns and Sound-Boxes for Talking-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to talking machines of either the disk or cylinder type and employing either the hill and valley or lateralljy undulating grooves.

t is the principal object of my invention to provide a combined horn and sound box for use with talking machines of the kind described which, when not in use, can be collapsed' or folded so as to occupy very little space but which, when it is to be used, can be instantly opened up so as to constitute a horn of goed tone qualities with sound box attached. It is a further object of my invention to provide a combined horn and sound box of the type described which` when not in use, can be instantly detached. from its Working position upon the machine, folded into Hat form, and either carried in the pocket or packed into the case or mounting which contains the other parts of the machine. The collapsible feature may, however, be omitted from my invention where space is ample, as is the case with machines which are intended strictly for home use or for public halls and the like, and still present many features of advantage.

The combined horn and sound box of my invention can be very simply, easily and cheaply made and consists of but few parts. It can also be made very strongly and can readily be repaired without the exercise of anyI great degree of skill.

y invention will be found particularly useful in talking machines for campers and picnic parties, and on automobile trips. It 1s also particularly adapted to talking machines to be used in military camps and at the front. This is partly because its emplolnent enables the entire machine to be ma e very inexpensively and partly because it makes for great compactness and requires but little spiace for storage or transportation.

My invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings,

which represent a` preferred form thereof as arranged for a disk phonograph using records of the hill and valley type. In these drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view, part being. broken away; and Fig. 2 is a front elevatlon, showing` both the `talking machine and the combined horn (in open position) and sound box; and Fig. 3 represents a central longitudinal section, enlarged, through the collapsed horn and sound boX only.

In the drawings, the casing, 1, contains the motor (not shown) of any usual type arranged to drive the spindle, 2, with attached record plate, 3, upon which is mounted the record, 4, all in the usual way. The motor is provided with a crank handle, 5, for winding.

The combined horn and sound box which really constitutes my invention, comprises a hollow bottom box or tone chamber, 6, (corresponding` to the usual tone arm), a thin top leaf or member, 7, hinged to the tone chamber at 8, and thin lateral members, 9, 10, on each side, respectively hinged to the tone chamber and top leaf and, also, hinged to one another on the center line` l1, along which line they may be folded inwardly, thus enabling the top leaf to be folded against the tone chamber.

The; tone chamber, top leaf and lateral members are, preferably, built up of thin dried wood of varieties such as are generally employed in making musical instruments. Other materials such as metal, celluloid, vulcanized fiber, or the like, may be used if desired. The lateral members, 9, 10, being each of stiff' unyielding materiahwill, when brought into alinement, as in Figs. 1 and'2, remain so, and thus maintain the horn in open position.

The bottom of the tone chamber, near its front end, is provided with an opening, 12, in which is fastened a sound box, 13, of usual construction, having a diaphragm, 14, and multiplying lever, 15, pivoted at 16, for movement in a vertical plane, and having one end connected to the diaphragm and the other end carrying the needle, 17.

The top of the tone chamber has a small opening, 18, at its rear end.

The casing, 1, has a socket, 19, its top near one edge, and is adapted to receive a spindle or pivot shaft, 20, which is attached to the closed end of thelhorn, preferably to the top leaf, 7. The angle of spindle, 2.0` is so de terniiiled with reference to the top leaiI that, when the horn and sound box uro in position onA the casing andA ready for operation, (Figs. 1 andQ), the tone chamber will be substantially horizontal.

The spindle, 20. may be permanently fastened to the horn or. preferably, may be fastened` detachabl as shown in the drawings, for example. ere the spindle terminates in a plate, 21, Whose edges engage slidubly with a shallow frame, 22, att-ached to the top leaf. Whenfthe machine is disassembled and thehorn'i folded up, spindle, 20,* wlth its plate, 21, may be separately stowed; away in any convenient' place.

In the operation of thetalkin machine, the needle, 17, is vibratedA in tie' vertical plane by the hill and valley grooves in the usual Way, thereby correspondingly v1- brating the diaphragm. The sound waves are transmitted through the tone chamber, 6, and out of opening, 18', into the horn, from the open front end of which they pass into the usual Way.

As the recordrevolves, the entire horn and1 sound; box WillJ be guided` by the record grooves so as to swing about the axis of spindle, 20, just as does th'e toearm in the conventional disk record type of machine. This neccssaril correspondingly changes the position of e seund'vvave axis (the longer axis'of thehorn) but this change is comparatively unimportant, and may e considercdespeciallysoin allow priced compact! machine for general utility .purposes such as I believe the device ofrmy invention to be best* adapted t0.

To exchange records it is merely necessary to liiit the outer end of the lower leaf or tone chamber, 6, thuscarrying seundl box and needle away frcinl'le record andy lavin am Ale space or s 1pp1nga recur 1n angl out? and upon" andl ofi"` thei spindle, 2. rIlhe lower leaf maybe held up :by: the. finger While the exchange. isi talringi placei ofi',1 1f lifted to its limitagainlstvthe top leaf, 7', it may Vbe locked and: held 1 i'rylthis position by tl'iespringrcatch, 23, provided for thepui" If it is desired to use the invention' with records havingl laterally undulatmggreves (the Berlinerform) thenl the spindle; 20,' may b'e attached teftlie horn so asi to be parallel with the hinge, 8, thereofunsteadoffat right-angles thereto, as shown lnglllgs. 1 and-2, and above described. The horn Will then be positioned edge on, soute-speak, when in operative'positien.. 0r, the horn rriayremain in substantiallyL the sameoperative position, relativeftc the motor casing, as has-been' illustrated ancldescribed above in connection with 'the hill and valley grooves provided thcrseund boni itself besuitably mounted upon@ the `tone chamber;`

the rear end. and if the sound box be set with the plane of the multiplying lever transverse to the length of the horn instead of parallel therewith, the needle will be at an angle with the surface of the record instead ofA normal thereto; under such circumstances, the needle will respond very nicely to the lateral undulations of the Berliner type. Even with the tone chamberleftpar` allel with the record disk, the' resiilljs Wlill be satisfactory, especially it the needle be given a little extra length.

While I have shown my invention' with one form of sound box the sameisnot restricted thereto and any suitable sound lioX may be employed.

Instead of the individually uny-ieldiiw lateral members, 9, 10, I may use xib c sides of fabric, leather, or the like, for the horn. In this case some meansy must, of course, be provided to hold the` horn open when it is to be used. 'llhis may be, e. g1, a= linkl pivoted to the outer end of onel leaf and adapted to heV engagedicr'` disengagledy With the outerendof the-other leaf; Ot er means will readily occur to those skilled in` the arti Y I: may also, if Il desire; substitute athin but solid` leaf forthe hollow toneohamben In this case the sound Box diaphragmwill evenmore literally thanibefore constitutea part of the Wallof the horn, t e inner surface of the diaphragm beingsubstantially` a part of the inner surface of the bornand the outer surface of the diaphragmzbeingf" part of the outer surface ofthe. horn.

My invention may readilyibe adapteditb talking machines of the cylinder type by merely: substituting the usual' positive unitand screw feed for the rotational feed employed above, e., for the soelslet; 19, and spindle, 20.

Other changes of detail will readily oecur to those skilled in the art and mayfbe made Within the spirit of thie'inventientandffthe scope of the following claims:

I claim.:

1. In combinatioma hom1 cldsed` atI o ne end` and comprising an upper leaf: anl a hollow lower leaf or tone chamber: 'connwtedf together by folding members, the hollow leafihaving openings in opposite `Walls there of, the openingin the innerl wall being-ad@ jacent to the Vclosedvend of thehorn, andra sound boxrmounted upon thre-lmllovvwleiif,T with its diaphragm' fillinfgttheuopeningfinf the outside :Wall thereofi 1 2. Asa new article of marra'eturegiaftalk# ingv machine hom having 'rigidftopfand'littom-walls hinged-atoneend andfconliected laterallyfbyrfcldable: walls, therebeing` a' sound box mounted upon the bottom Wall die resting upon the record disk while, when with its diaphragm exposed to the air inside not in use5 the two rigid walls may be closed the horn and also connected with the needle, upon one another for compactness. l0 the top wall also having a pivot shaft at- In Witness whereof I have hereunto set 5 tached thereto and adapted to engage a suitmy hand.

able socket so that, in use, the lower wall will hang free from the upper wall with the nee- WILLIAM H. TONK.

copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents eaeh, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. c.

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